Charles Dawes began his career as a lawyer. He bought a utilities company and became a very wealthy businessman. He then became active in fields of banking and finance. To protect his financial holdings, he organized the Minutemen of the Constitution. The Minutemen were a private police force numbering almost 50,000 at its height. This group was used to break up labor union activities, although they were officially present at such events to support the police. Needless to say, Dawes became one of the wealthiest men in the country.
When World War I began, his position, plus a personal friendship with General John J. Pershing, helped him win the position of Chief Procurement Officer for the army. In this position he rose from major to brigadier general. It was this position that gained him his first national fame.
After the war, Congress was investigating various aspects of the war. One committee was investigating the financing of the war. They called Charles Dawes to question him about certain financial arrangements he had approved. After a number of petty questions, Dawes exploded with an expression for which he would become famous. He yelled, "Hell and Maria! We weren't trying to keep a set of books, we were trying to win the war!" He added that "I'd have paid horse prices for sheep if the sheep could have hauled artillery....It's a hell-fire shame for everybody to be trying to pick flyspecks on the greatest army the world ever knew. We went to France to win the war and we did it." The country did not approve of his profanity, but they admired his direct approach and his courageous stand before Congress. "Hell 'n' Maria" became a popular phrase, and a nickname for Charlie Dawes.
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